It's hard to be critical about a show that's so sincere and well meaning. 'Umoja' means 'togetherness' in Zulu, and the show champions this spirit of community via the story of people of different tribes and tongues pouring into the chaotic cities of South Africa in the 1950s. It was a time of seismic social change - the move from rural to urban living, tribal gods to Christianity - but song and dance rules here over social history.
We open with some explosive performance and a burst of traditional dance and drumming, 24 pairs of feet pounding the earth and voices soaring from the gut. We then follow the musical thread to the present through jazz, gumboots and gospel to booty-shaking kwaito.
The versatile cast are lively, smiley and spirited but it's the format that feels less dynamic. An avuncular narrator introduces the numbers, but somehow his personal 'reminiscences' don't quite ring true. It's not a punchy political tale - there are frustratingly vague references to 'hard times' - nor a fully fledged piece of musical theatre. The stage set-up is limiting too, with large platforms for the drummers leaving little space for the dancers to let loose.
There's actually an incredible story here, longing for a cracking treatment. But as it stands, 'Umoja' is a colourful, feelgood song and dance show, with some great voices, moving harmonies and a laudable message.